Fire-escape



5 Aw R w m mm WW .1 W m 3% Patengg Apr. 11,.1882.

FIRE ESCAPE.

J. HARRISDN & M). FOLLIARD.

(-No Model.)

WITNESSESi BY fi bamz; ATTORNBY$ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HARRISON AND MICHAEL FOLLIARD, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,317, dated April 11, 1882,

I Applicationfilcd February 21, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN HARRISON and MICHAEL FoLLIARD, both citizens of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Fire- Escapes, of which the following is a specificar tion.

This invention consists of a rod secured to the wall of the building, forming a guidefor a number of stepsor rungs fastened at each end to ropes or chains, so as to form atlexibleladder, said ladder'being-so arranged that when it is drawn up it can be instantly lowered by severing a cord placed in position in the inside of the building.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side view of our apparatus when it is drawn up. it is down and ready for use. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the same on a larger scale.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

In .the drawings, the letter a designates'a series of steps or rungs, which are fastened at convenient distances from each other to two ropes or chains, 1). 7 These ropes or chains are attached to the eoruice A of the building in any suitable manner, in front of or near the windows, so that when they are allowed to hangfree the whole forms a flexible ladder, B, on which it is easy to descend from a burning building. To give this ladder steadiness, and

to keep it a sufficient distance fromthe hot walls, a rod, 0, passes through apertures d in each of the steps or rungs a. The upper end of the rod 0 is secured to the cornice A of the house, while its lower end is secured to a bracket extending from the lower part of the wall; or, the rod. may be bent, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the ladder is kept away from the wall to permit its free action.

made square, by preference, so as to prevent the steps or rungs afrom turning on the same;

Fig. 2 is a front View of the-same whenv The rod 0 is but it may be round or of any other cross-section.

When not in use theladder isdrawn up (see Fig. 1) by means of a cord, e,one end ofwhich passes loosely through holes f in the steps or rungs a, Fig. 3, and is secured to the bottom one, or it maybe fastened to each step, while the other end passes over a pulley, g, pivoted in the top of the rod 0, then into the building over another pulley, h, and down close to the wall to the lower story, where, after the ladderhas been drawn up, it is fastened. v

Should a fire occur in any part of the building, it is only necessary to sever the cord 6, which will cause the ladder composed of the steps or rungs a and the chains! to drop by its own weight from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1 to that in dotted lines, the cord 0 serving as a guide, thus affording a safe and easy exit,which may be made instantly available from any story of the building.

The cord 0 may also, by pulleys or other means,be made to passthrough other portions of the building before it is fastened, so that should a fire break out near the cord 0, it would burn the same through, thereby causing the ladder B to fall automatically.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, as hereinbefore described, of the rod secured to the outside wall of a building, the steps or rounds, fitted on and guided by said rod, the chains or ropes conmeeting said steps, and the cord or chain for controlling the position of the steps.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands and sealsiu the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HARRISON. [L. s.] MICHAEL FOLLIARD. {L s. j

\ Witnesses:

W. HAUFF,

E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

